Living In The Past
by Takei Hisa
Summary: "Why'd I ever let you go again?" -Aokuro One Shot


He hated Taiga. Watching his ex-partner gently bump fists with another, a wry smile blooming on his ever so innocent face made Aomine's blood boil. Watching the cyan-haired, shorter male beam at someone else when they scored, watching him bask in the glowing glory of a victory with somebody else other than him killed him inside-out. Watching Tetsu sit on the broad, toned shoulders of the loud, obnoxious redhead was like stabbing him through the chest. The worst was watching his skills mesh with Kagami Taiga, who wasn't him.  
The ignite pass, which had only been meant for his two large, steady hands to catch was now being received by a different yet similar lighter-coloured pair. The invisible, swift passes which had always been directed at him were now flying right pass his eyes into the new light's hands. His cross-court pass, which had rarely been used between the both of them, now whizzed across the full court.

Right into the hands of another person. Another light. Somebody else, who wasn't him, was receiving those passes. They were the exact, same, powerful passes which had been countlessly caught by him, again and again throughout the two years of their time together. Yet, the familiarity of the ball sharply smacking against palm could no longer be felt anymore. There were no more fist-bumps, and no more gentle smiles beside him. How he detested Kagami for taking his place. Aomine knew Kagami Taiga was weak, he was dim. Against Aomine, Kagami could not even compare. That was what he had thought, what he had perceived. He thought wrong.  
The glowing red LED lights displayed the crushing score of 102 to 100. It was Seirin's win. Beads of perspiration soaked through his dark Touou jersey, staining it, as if it were emphasizing his loss, mocking him. The match replayed in his mind, imprinting itself into it. It was only then that he realized that the heterochromatic captain of Teiko had been right. Tetsu was irreplaceable in the team. Tetsu was special. If someone else's skills ever were to mesh better with him than Aomine, then Aomine would have failed. He would have failed Tetsu. He would have failed himself, and fail himself he did.

Aomine had words to say to Tetsu on the tip of his tongue. They had been words he had wanted to voice since Tetsu's abrupt, betraying withdrawal from the team in Teiko. Mushy, sappy words he simply could not bring himself to say after seeing the spark in Tetsu's eyes after their glorious victory against Touou—against him. Words of pleas, begs and apologies, words that would have had no effect on Tetsu now. Towel flopped upon his head, he bitterly smiled. They had both long passed that time window.  
He got up, reproaching himself. Aomine had never been a graceful loser, but it seemed that tradition was going to end that day whether he liked it or not. He forcefully strode over to Seirin's team and stuck out his tanned hand. "Aren't you going to shake hands with your ex-teammate?" he jokingly asked Tetsu, a mask to cover up his actual thoughts—his actual feelings. Tetsu's lips were in a grim line, only then deciding on shaking hands with Aomine. "Why such hard feelings?" he teasingly asked, feeling a lot worse with every word he said. A little piece of him decayed with every second. Tetsu's lips formed a gentle smile, the once-strained atmosphere finally thinning a little.  
Aomine's heart skipped a beat. It was that familiar smile that sent him ages back, that fiercely struck arrows through his heart. It was that that had made him fall for Tetsuya Kuroko without even noticing it. Flashbacks of sharing food at Maji burger, eating twin popsicles, and playing the sport which was most treasured by the both of them haunted him to no end. He also remembered the last time they ever practised Kuroko's invincible passing. It was their last match, their last moment. It had been an unexpected last moment for him, for everyone in the team. How he wished he could have turned back the time to when the other's fist was outstretched, expecting a fist-bump in return, only to be disappointed. But do remember that this was the past, and time and tide waited for no man. It was all over, and it was all Aomine could do not to break down in front of Tetsu like how he would have wanted to.

_They had never met anyone like the other. They believed that they were soul-mates, and that they knew and understood the other perfectly, like puzzle pieces which interlocked in ways many did not understand. But everything just corroded away, as would stone when in contact with acid. The ritualistic laughter and fun between them became unimportant dust on a bookshelf, forgotten, dejected. Locked away in the cores of each of their hearts, unwilling to be re-seen were those memories. Because you see, you could always turn the hands of a clock, but you would never be able to reverse time._


End file.
